Wednesday, March 21, 2012

This is S, one of the writers from the little blog The Pretty Life Anonymous, and we are so excited to be a part of the Spring Fling blog series here at Whatever Dee Dee Wants!

Spring is coming, and the weather is starting to perk up. Likewise, I'm sure your wardrobe is in need of a little sprucing, since, if you are anything like me, you have been draping yourself in way too much black and/or neutrals all winter and it's time to come out of fashion hibernation, meaning, bring on the color, patterns, and pizzazz!

So, today we are talking pattern mixing since it is a great way to start incorporating some brightness into your bleak winter-wear. Now, this may be a foreign concept for a lot of people, and it can take a lot of people out of their solid-color comfort zones. However, even though I don't claim to be an expert on the topic, I am going to ask you to give this trend a chance because it can be fun, and open your wardrobe up to a world of new possibilities. To help you ease into it, we made a super simple list of three rules to follow when mixing patterns in your wardrobe.

Rule #1 - Mix patterns that have similar color palettes
I like my outfits to make sense. I never want anyone to look at me and wonder why I put one item with another. By sticking with similar colors, even though the pieces have different patterns, they tie together (i.e. the browns and tans in both the shirt and skirt below).

Rule #2 - Mix one bold pattern with one subtle pattern

Mixing two bold patterns would be a little too much, while mixing two subtle patterns would be a little boring. Mixing a bold pattern with a subtle pattern gives a perfect balance and keeps the outfit interesting.

Rule #3 - Be confident

As far as I am concerned, you can wear whatever the heck you want as long as you feel good. So ignore the previous two rules if you want to. Just make sure to follow this one. Look good, feel good.

I hope this helps you hesitant pattern-mixers out there. You can do it! And if you need a little something to make you brave, I hear girl scout cookies are for sale, and they can work wonders in the bravery department.